Chinese Workers Counter AI Replacement Orders with Sabotage Tools

Companies in China are increasingly directing employees to meticulously document their workflows. The goal is to use this information to train AI agents—software designed to automate specific tasks—and thereby reduce reliance on human labor. This push for automation has ignited significant pushback from the workforce.

One example, a GitHub project named Colleague Skill, initially conceived as a joke, gained viral attention across Chinese social media. This tool ingests a coworker's chat history and profile to generate detailed workplace manuals describing their tasks with surprising accuracy. Shanghai-based tech worker Amber Li reported the software accurately mimics coworkers' unique quirks and punctuation habits, underscoring its sophisticated imitation capabilities.

The rapid proliferation of AI agent software across the country prompted a response from Chinese government agencies. These bodies advised employees against installing tools like OpenClaw on their devices. Their warnings cited cybersecurity risks, including potential data leaks and accidental deletion of critical information.

In direct response to these corporate automation efforts, some employees have begun building their own countermeasures. AI product manager Koki Xu, for example, developed a tool specifically designed to rewrite worker manuals into non-actionable language. This initiative directly hinders the effective creation of AI systems intended to replace human roles, representing a deliberate act of resistance.

This escalating situation reveals a profound tension between organizational drives for efficiency through AI implementation and employees' efforts to protect their positions. The development of counter-automation tools by workers signals a significant shift in how labor might respond to future technological disruptions. Observe how companies, governments, and the global workforce adapt to these evolving challenges as AI adoption continues to reshape industries worldwide.